Domers by Design

Published: Spring 2012

Sure, a Notre Dame sweatshirt or a leprechaun painted on the garage door displays your true colors. But not everyone wants to be such a show-off. To discreetly cheer the home team, you could grab some items your classmates helped create and quietly let your inner Domer shine.

Proudly dress in cutting-rooms scraps and plastic bottles with a shirt or hoodie from SustainU, a company founded by Chris Yura ’03. The former ND football player and model knows that clothing featuring “100 percent recycled apparel that’s made in the USA” is the essence of cool. Help clean up the world at sustainuclothing.com.

For the Skechers Blazed youth sneakers, Scott Kelley ’03 ran the extra mile. He designed a utility patent on the shoe closure system, which is “capable of rapid adjustment in multiple planes of movement.” Yeah, what he said. The new zig-zag closure is great, but the flames are more apt to get the kids fired up. Can be found wherever Skechers are sold.

You probably can’t golf as well as Luke Donald, shown here at the 2011 Masters tournament at Augusta National Golf Club, but you could dress like him. Maureen Whitaker ’02, a design director for golf and tennis at Ralph Lauren, and her team designed and styled this look inspired by the azaleas spread throughout the Augusta course. The RLX tech pique polo shirt and RLX Cypress pants are available at ralphlauren.com and select golf clubs’ pro shops.

Author, TV personality and jewelry designer Katharine Sise ’01 likes to do custom designs and is known for her multi-chain necklaces with charming little attachments, but her fine jewelry is truly a treasure. So go for the gold — or, if you prefer, the brass or the silver chains — at katharinesise.com.

Brian Murphy ’93 and his wife, Jessie Randall, put their best foot forward in 2004 when they formed Loeffler Randall. Murphy is the company’s CFO, while his wife, as president and creative director, continues to oversee the design of the brand’s high-fashion shoes, like this black/cream woven jacquard Dita platform pump.

Anne Slowey ’82 is a Fashion Know It All. No, that’s not being snarky — it’s the name of her column for Elle magazine, where she is the fashion news director. While the men can get their tips from GQ, headed by not one but two ND grads, the ladies can ogle Elle to find Slowey’s advice or do a search for her blogs and columns at elle.com.